It's time the Toronto Maple Leafs have a serious conversation about Auston Matthews
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has been having a rough season, and after a performance against the Edmonton Oilers, it's clear he is in trouble.
Auston Matthews used to be one of the best scorers in the entire NHL. During the 2023-24 season, he had 69 goals and was very close to cracking 70.
However, since that time, he has been downright abysmal, and the Leafs are starting to grow fed up with the lack of production.
This season, Matthews has 13 goals in 26 games, and he has been an abject failure when it comes to giving his team some offense when they need it.
Last night against the Edmonton Oilers, Matthews was particularly ineffective, and it feels as though the Leafs are in some real trouble.
Auston Matthews is stinking it up
According to some stats from Dom Luszczyszyn, Matthews is on a steady decline when it comes to his net rating. In fact, he is having the worst season of his career since his rookie campaign.
This kind of regression has been happening for a few seasons now, and it really does feel like Matthews is reaching a point of no return.
With 21 points in 26 games this season, Matthews has found himself being outperformed by players like Matthew Knies, William Nylander, and John Tavares.
What happened to Auston Matthews
Some would argue that Matthews' struggles are a direct result of his injury problems over the past couple of seasons. However, something deeper could be at play.
For instance, this could actually be the fault of Craig Berube, whose system has received quite a bit of flak for not being offensive enough.
Whatever the case may be, the Leafs are not getting good enough play from their captain, and at a certain point a conversation will need to be had.
You can't pay a player $13.25 million per season, and have them play like this.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14 | 660 ANSWERS It's time the Toronto Maple Leafs have a serious conversation about Auston Matthews Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs need to have a serious conversation about Auston Matthews? | ||
| YES | 602 | 91.2 % |
| NO | 58 | 8.8 % |
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